the Forth Naturalist Historian - Forth Naturalist and Historian ...

140 Louis Stott
was achieved by William Wallace and Andrew Moray. The popular story of the
stratagem used by Wallace is related by Charles Roger in his authoritative
tourist’s guide A Week at the Bridge of Allan (1851). The story is not now taken
seriously by most historians, but it is a fine piece of hokum. He describes how
the English army under Surrey and Cressingham reached the Forth:
Early on the following morning they proceeded to send the army across the river;
but now they were to fall to a stratagem to which Wallace had dextrously resorted,
The Forth was then crossed by a bridge, at an abrupt bend in its course, still
known as Kildean Ford, about half a mile above the ancient stone bridge of
Stirling. This bridge which was originally constructed by the Romans, consisted of
a narrow platform of timber, affixed to a main beam, which was extended across
several stone piers erected in the bed of the river. Wallace, being acquainted with
its formation, had, prior to the arrival of the English army, ordered the main beam
to be sawn across, while he had the fabric temporarily supported by a wedge,
fastened to each end of the broken beam, and which, by the stroke of a hammer,
could easily be removed. To execute his design, one of the most ingenious and
adventurous in his army, who had followed the occupation of a carpenter, was
placed under the bridge in a basket, in such a manner as to be unnoticed, and to
remain unhurt, though a section of the bridge should fall into the water.
Several thousands of the English army had already crossed the river, and the
stream of soldiery continued to pour rapidly across, when suddenly, on the
sounding of a horn by Wallace from the crag, the wedge securing the cut beam
being drawn out, the bridge gave way, and communication was stopped between
the two divisions of the army, while those in the act of crossing the broken part of
the bridge were plunged into the water.
The Abbey Craig, from which Wallace sounded his horn, is surmounted by
one of the most obtrusive monuments in Britain which towers over the site,
dominating the plain of the Forth.
Bridges above Stirling – Forth
Immediately above Stirling the Forth is joined by two significant tributaries,
the Allan and the Teith. Indeed, rather like the Tummel, the principal tributary
of the Tay, the Teith drains a basin as large as that of the main stream. The upper
Forth itself winds across the Flanders Moss, an unimpressive stream. On Drip
Moss there is the site of a significant medieval ford, then a ferry, which was by
1790 succeeded by a fine stone bridge of five arches, still to be seen today. Drip
Bridge has been replaced by a concrete beam bridge of 1920 on the road which
leads to Doune and Callander. However, in the days of the Drovers, of Rob Roy
and of Prince Charlie the principal crossing place was called the Fords of Frew
which have many historical associations; the old stone Brig o’ Frew has gone,
its successor is a modern structure of little interest. At the fords, the Forth is
joined by a considerable tributary, the Boquhan Burn. Indeed the reason for
the plural in ‘fords’ is that most travellers had to cross both the Forth and its
tributary at this point. There is another good stone bridge on the burn. Higher
up, at Wright Park, associated with Jean Key the heiress abducted by Rob Roy’s
son, there is a spectacularly situated nineteenth century rubble bridge with the
attractive name Bailie Bow’s Bridge. The back road crosses the same burn by